Teenspace
Calling All Teen Filmmakers!
Posted on December 15, 2020
Sonoma County Library is having its first ever SCL Teenage Film Festival! Are you an amateur filmmaker? Has Tik Tok or YouTube awakened your passion for cinema? All Sonoma County teens ages 12 to 19 are invited to compete. Take some time over the break to shoot and edit your own 6-minute masterpiece. A jury will review all submitted entries and select films screened at the festival. Prizes will be awarded for the best films in various categories as well as audience choice.
Accepting submissions now through Feb. 7, 2021, please visit: https://filmfreeway.com/SCLTeenFilmFestival.
Official Rules:
- All short films must be written, directed, and edited by teens ages 12 to 19.
- The filmmaker/director must be a resident of Sonoma County.
- All entries must be teen-produced, and may be either a group project or individual work.
- Adult guidance and instruction are permissible, but the planning and production must reflect teen effort. Note, however, that adults may act in and assist with your film.
- Films may be on any topic, but must be G or PG rated in language and subject matter, as defined by the Motion Pictures Association, or they will be disqualified.
G – General Audiences
All ages admitted. Nothing that would offend parents for viewing by children
PG – Parental Guidance Suggested
Some material may not be suitable for children. Parents urged to give "parental guidance". May contain some material parents might not like for their young children. - Title pages and credits should be included in your film.
- Unless relevant to the plot, please do not include bloopers in your submitted film.
- Films may be no more than 6 minutes in length including credits.
- Use of sound or video clips from other films, television shows, music videos, etc. within your submitted work is not permitted unless those clips are in the public domain or you have received written permission from the copyright holder. This includes the use of trademarked products or characters.
- Filmmakers can also use their own original music. Additionally, copyright-free, public domain, trade-friendly or creative commons copyright music can be used.
- Each filmmaker may submit up to two, and no more than, two films.
- All new footage should be made while following Sonoma County’s social distancing guidelines.
Legal Disclaimers:
By entering your film into the Sonoma County Library Teen Film Festival, the applicant agrees to all rules and regulations as defined in the official festival rules.
The applicant also grants a non-exclusive license, throughout the world and in perpetuity, to the Library to:
- Show their film to a non-paying public at a future Sonoma County Library Teen Film Festival, other partner festivals and promotional events.
- Display the film, in part or in its entirety, on the Sonoma County Library website, video streaming websites, and/or Sonoma County Library website and Facebook page.
January’s Virtual Pride Book: Queer YA Fantasy!
Posted on December 12, 2020
Our Virtual Pride Book Club for Teens ages 13-18 continues this month with the theme of Queer YA Fantasy. You can select a book that fits the theme based on recommendations by librarians or choose your own! We will be meeting online at 4:00pm every Tuesday in January. For more information, email teenpride@sonomalibrary.org.
To register for January Book Clubs
Here are some of our recommendations:
You Brought Me the Ocean
by Alex Sanchez (he/him) and Julie Maroh (they/them)
Recommended by Javier (he/him)
You can order a physical copy of this graphic novel for curbside pickup at this link on the catalog.
Or you can access this graphic novel digitally as an e-book via Overdrive.
And on Hoopla!
Girl, Serpent, Thorn
by Melissa Bashardoust (she/her)
Recommended by Melissa (she/her)
You can order a physical copy of this book for curbside pickup at this link on the catalog.
Or you can access this book digitally as an e-book and an e-audiobook via Overdrive.
Raybearer
by Jordan Ifueko (she/her)
Recommended by Stuart (he/him)
You can order a physical copy of this book for curbside pickup at this link on the catalog.
Or you can access this book digitally as an e-book and an e-audiobook via Overdrive.
And on Hoopla!
Elatsoeby
Darcie Little Badger (she/her)
Recommended by Terra (she/her)
You can order a physical copy of this book for curbside pickup at this link on the catalog.
Or you can access this book digitally as an e-book via Overdrive.
And as an e-book and an e-audiobook on Hoopla
More Queer YA Fantasy:
(Hint: click on the book covers to go to go to the library catalog)
Calling Superhero Readers of All Ages!
Posted on December 05, 2020
Help us celebrate the launch of virtual LumaCon! 2021 by participating in our first ever
LumaCon! Superhero Reading Challenge
from Nov. 25th- Jan. 25th.
Register on Beanstack and complete at least 5 of our 12 challenge prompts to earn a ticket in the drawing. Prizes will be gift cards to Petaluma businesses who have sponsored LumaCon in the past and every additional prompt will earn you another ticket.
1
Superheroes must be ready to face their fears: Read a book about something that scares you (Facing your Fears)!
2
Superheroes have to keep a great deal of secrets: Read a book about people keeping secrets.
3
Superheroes often have a sidekick who helps them fight crime: Read a book featuring a strong friendship.
4
Many superhero stories come from famous myths or folklore: Read a book involving myths/folklore or a retelling of a myth/folklore.
5
Superheroes almost always have some type of super power or ability: Read a book about a person with special abilities.
6
Superheroes often get their powers from some type of science experiment: Read a book involving science or technology.
7
Superheroes must be brave to fight crime: Read a book about someone you think is brave or is being brave in the book.
8
Superhero stories are often told in graphic form: Read a graphic novel, manga, or comic.
9
Many movies and TV shows are made based on superheroes: Read a book adapted for the movies or TV.
10
Superheroes come from all different backgrounds: Read a book by or about someone from a different background than yourself.
11
Superheroes often team up to defeat their foes: Team up to read a book with a friend!
12
It wouldn't be LumaCon if we didn't involve the arts: Read a book involving art.
December’s Virtual Pride Book
Posted on November 12, 2020
Queer YA Books with Found Family!
Our Virtual Pride Book Club for Teens ages 13-18 continues this month with the theme of Queer YA Books with Found Family. You can select a book that fits the theme based on recommendations by librarians or choose your own! We will be meeting online at 3:30pm on Tuesday, December 1, 2020. For more information, email teenpride@sonomalibrary.org.
To register for the November 3rd book club, visit https://events.sonomalibrary.org/event/4479861
Here are some of our recommendations:
Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up With Me by Mariko Tamaki (she/her) and Rosemary Valero-O’Connell (she/her)
Recommended by Javier (he/him)
You can order a physical copy of this graphic novel for curbside pickup at this link on the catalog.
Or you can access this graphic novel digitally as an e-book via Overdrive.
Our Dreams at Dusk by Yuhki Kamatani (they/them)
Recommended by Melissa (she/her)
You can order a physical copy of this manga for curbside pickup at this link on the catalog.
The Fascinators by Andrew Eliopulos (he/him)
Recommended by Stuart (he/him)
You can order a physical copy of this book for curbside pickup at this link on the catalog.
Or you can access this book digitally as an e-book and an e-audiobook via Overdrive.
Like A Love Story by Abdi Nazemian (he/him)
Recommended by Terra (she/her)
You can order a physical copy of this book for curbside pickup at this link on the catalog.
Or you can access this book digitally as an e-book and an e-audiobook via Overdrive.
Or you can access this book digitally as an e-audiobook via Hoopla.
More Queer YA Books with Found Family:
(Hint: click on the book covers to go to go to the library catalog)
Join the Big Library Read!
Posted on November 03, 2020
Join the Big Library Read!
Every month the Libby App, AKA Overdrive, offers a unique book club experience across all libraries with their service. This month’s selection for the “Big Library Read” is Reverie by Ryan La Sala, a young adult fantasy. Kane Montgomery was found after a terrible accident half-dead in the river with amnesia. As he settles back into the world something doesn’t feel quite right and Kane is determined to get to the bottom of it. Dreams begin to become reality and Kane doesn’t know where to turn.
For the “Big Library Read”, from November 2nd through the 16th, the e-book and e-audiobooks are available through the Libby app simultaneous use. This means there is no wait list and no holds! In addition to offering the book without a wait list, Overdrive always sets up a virtual discussion to tie to that month’s read. This month’s virtual discussion with the author will take place live on November 10th at 2 pm. Register for the live event while there is still space here.
November Virtual Teen Book Club
Posted on October 16, 2020
We miss interacting with our teens and want to invite you all to join the Virtual Teen Book Club! Unlike other book clubs, which force everyone to read the same book, we know you want more autonomy than that. Each month we will pick a theme around which to focus your reading. Our next meeting is November 10th at 3:30PM via Zoom and our theme is new school, new beginnings. Read any book dealing with starting over fresh. This book club is open to all Sonoma County residents between the ages of 13 and 18 who would like to join.
Register in advance for this meeting: https://events.sonomalibrary.org/event/4479889
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.
Our teen librarians involved in the book club will be reading alongside you and book talking our choices for the month on our Youtube channel. You can select one of our recommendations or any other book you want which fits the theme. For more information, email teenbooks@sonomalibrary.org
Librarian Picks
Lobizona by Romina Garber (she/her)
Recommended by Alex (she/her) at Windsor.
“When her mother is arrested by ICE, sixteen-year-old Argentinian Manu -- who thinks she is hiding in a Miami apartment because she is an undocumented immigrant -- discovers that her entire existence is illegal. As an undocumented immigrant on the run from her father's Argentine crime-family, Manuela Azul is confined to a small apartment and a small life in Miami, Florida. Then her surrogate grandmother is attacked, lifelong lies are exposed, and her mother is arrested by ICE. Without a home, without answers, Manu investigates the only clue she has about her past: a mysterious "Z" emblem…”
Get a physical book here or an e-book or e-audiobook through Overdrive.
Yaqui Delgado Wants to Kick Your Ass by Meg Medina (she/her)
Recommended by Sabine (she/her) at Sonoma Valley.
“Yaqui Delgado wants to kick your ass. That's what some girl tells Piddy Sanchez one morning before school. Too bad Piddy doesn't even know who Yaqui Delgado is, let alone what she's done to piss her off. All Piddy knows is that Yaqui hates her -- and she better watch her back because Yaqui isn't kidding around. At first Piddy just focuses on trying to find out more about the father she's never met and how to balance honors courses with her weekend job at the neighborhood hair salon. But as the harassment escalates, avoiding Yaqui and her gang starts to take over Piddy's life. Is there any way for Piddy to survive without closing herself off and running away from her problems?...”
Get a physical book here, or an e-book from Overdrive, or an e-book from Hoopla.
Also available in Spanish.
What I Carry by Jennifer Longo(she/her)
Recommended by Donna Romeo (she/her) at Cloverdale.
“Growing up in foster care, Muir has lived in many houses. And if she's learned one thing, it is to Pack. Light. Carry only what fits in a suitcase. Toothbrush? Yes. Socks? Yes. Emotional attachment to friends? foster families? a boyfriend? Nope! There's no room for any additional baggage. Muir has just one year left before she ages out of the system. One year before she's free. One year to avoid anything--or anyone--that could get in her way. Then she meets Francine. And Kira. And Sean. And everything changes.”
Get a physical book here, or an e-book from Overdrive, or an e-audiobook from Hoopla.
Watch Donna’s book talk on YouTube here or watch below.
More Excellent Reads About New Beginnings
The Field Guide to the North American Teenager by Ben Phillippe (he/him)
“When Norris, a black French Canadian, starts his junior year at an Austin, Texas, high school, he views his fellow students as cliches from ‘a bad 90s teen movie."
Get a physical book here, an Overdrive e-book or e-audiobook here, or a Hoopla e-audiobook here.
If I Was Your Girl by Meredith Russo (she/her)
“Amanda Hardy only wants to fit in at her new school, but she is keeping a big secret, so when she falls for Grant, guarded Amanda finds herself yearning to share with him everything about herself, including her previous life as Andrew.”
Get a physical book here or an Overdrive e-book of e-audiobook here.
Don’t Ask Me Where I’m From by Jennifer De Leon (she/her)
“Liliana Cruz does what it takes to fit in at her new nearly all-white school, but when family secrets come out and racism at school gets worse than ever, she must decide what she believes in and take a stand.”
Get a physical book here or an Overdrive e-book or e-audiobook here.
Parachutes by Kelly Yang (she/her)
“They're called parachutes: teenagers dropped off to live in private homes and study in the US while their wealthy parents remain in Asia. Claire Wang never thought she'd be one of them, until her parents pluck her from her privileged life in Shanghai and enroll her at a high school in California. Suddenly she finds herself living in a stranger's house, with no one to tell her what to do for the first time in her life. She soon embraces her newfound freedom, especially when the hottest and most eligible parachute, Jay, asks her out. Dani De La Cruz, Claire's new host sister, couldn't be less thrilled that her mom rented out a room to Claire. An academic and debate-team star, Dani is determined to earn her way into Yale, even if it means competing with privileged kids who are buying their way to the top. . .”
Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins (she/her)
“Anna can't wait for her senior year in Atlanta, where she has a good job, a loyal best friend, and a crush on the verge of becoming more. So she's not too thrilled when her father unexpectedly ships her off to boarding school in Paris - until she meets Etienne St. Clair, the perfect boy. The only problem? He's taken, and Anna might be, too, if anything comes of her crush back home. Will a year of romantic near-misses end in the French kiss Anna awaits?”
Get a physical book here, or an Overdrive e-book or e-audiobook here.
November’s Virtual Pride Book Club
Posted on October 16, 2020
Queer YA Books about Gender Identity!
Our Virtual Pride Book Club for Teens ages 13-18 continues this month with the theme of Queer YA Books about Gender Identity. You can select a book that fits the theme based on recommendations by librarians or choose your own! We will be meeting online at 3:30pm on Tuesday, November 3, 2020. For more information, email teenpride@sonomalibrary.org.
To register for the November 3rd book club, visit https://events.sonomalibrary.org/event/4479860
Here are some of our recommendations:
Dark and Deepest Red by Anna-Marie McLemore (they/them)
Recommended by Alex (she/her)
You can order a physical copy of this book for curbside pickup at this link on the catalog.
Or you can access this book digitally as an e-book and an e-audiobook via Overdrive.
Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas (he/him/they/them)
Recommended by Javier (he/him)
You can order a physical copy of this book for curbside pickup at this link on the catalog.
Or you can access this book digitally as an e-book and an e-audiobook via Overdrive.
Watch Javier’s book talk on YouTube, or watch below.
Mooncakes by Suzanne Walker (she/her) and Wendy Xu (she/her)
Recommended by Melissa (she/her)
You can order a physical copy of this book for curbside pickup at this link on the catalog.
Or you can access this graphic novel digitally as an e-book via Hoopla.
Genderqueer by Maia Kobabe (e/em/eir)
Recommended by Stuart (he/him)
You can order a physical copy of this book for curbside pickup at this link on the catalog.
Or you can access this graphic novel digitally as an e-book via Overdrive.
And as an e-book and an e-audiobook on Hoopla!
To meet Maia Kobabe at our virtual Zine Fest, click here!
Felix Ever After by Kacen Callender (they/them)
Recommended by Terra (she/her)
You can order a physical copy of this book for curbside pickup at this link on the catalog.
Or you can access this graphic novel digitally as an e-book via Overdrive.
Watch Terra’s book talk on YouTube, or watch below.
More Queer YA Books about Gender Identity:
(Hint: click on the book covers to go to go to the library catalog)
A Quick and Easy Guide to They/Them Pronouns
by Archie Bongiovanni (they/them) and Tristan Jimerson (he/him)
A Quick and Easy Guide to Queer & Trans Identities
by Mady G. (they/them) and J.R. Zuckerberg (they/them)
Virtual Teen Book Club
Posted on September 24, 2020
We miss interacting with our teens and want to invite you all to join the Virtual Teen Book Club! Unlike other book clubs, which force everyone to read the same book, we know you want more autonomy than that. Each month we will pick a theme around which to focus your reading. Our next meeting is October 13th at 3:30PM via Zoom and our theme is paranormal, supernatural, or horror books. This book club is open to all Sonoma County residents between the ages of 13 and 18 who would like to join.
Register in advance for this meeting: https://events.sonomalibrary.org/event/4479888
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.
Our teen librarians involved in the book club will be reading alongside you and book talking our choices for the month on our Youtube channel. You can select one of our recommendations or any other book you want which fits the theme. For more information, email teenbooks@sonomalibrary.org
Librarian Picks
The Fell of Dark by Caleb Roehrig (he/him)
Recommended by Stuart (he/him)at Guerneville.
“The only thing August Pfeiffer hates more than algebra is living in a vampire town. Located at a nexus of mystical energy fields, Fulton Heights is practically an electromagnet for supernatural drama. And when a mysterious (and annoyingly hot) vampire boy arrives with a cryptic warning, Auggie suddenly finds himself at the center of it. An ancient and terrible power is returning to the earthly realm, and somehow Auggie seems to be the only one who can stop it.”
Get an e-book through Overdrive
Watch Stuart’s book talk on YouTube here or watch below.
The Diviners by Libba Bray (she/her)
Recommended by Karen (she/her) at Petaluma.
“Seventeen-year-old Evie O'Neill is thrilled when she is exiled from small-town Ohio to New York City in 1926, even when a rash of occult-based murders thrusts Evie and her uncle, curator of The Museum of American Folklore, Superstition, and the Occult, into the thick of the investigation.”
Get a physical book here, or an e-audiobook Overdrive.
Watch Karen’s book talk on YouTube here or watch below.
Sunshine by Robin McKinley (she/her)
Recommended by Alex (she/her) at Windsor.
“All hope for stopping the vampiric elite from controlling earth depends on human SOFs (Special Other Forces) and the success of their attempt to recruit Sunshine, the daughter of legendary sorcerer Onyx Blaise.”
Get a physical book here, an e-book or e-audiobook here or a Hoopla e-book here.
Watch Alex’s book talk on YouTube here or watch below.
The Haunted by Danielle Vega (she/her)
Recommended by Sabine (she/her) at Sonoma Valley.
"To evade her manipulative ex-boyfriend, sixteen-year-old Hendricks' family moves to small-town New York, where she joins the popular crowd, but only her outcast neighbor, Eddie, can help chase vindictive ghosts from her new house…”
Get a physical book here or an Overdrive e-book or e-audiobook here.
Watch Sabine’s book talk on YouTube here or watch below.
More Excellent Horror/Supernatural Reads
Out of Salem by Hal Schrieve (xie/hir)
"Genderqueer fourteen-year-old Z Chilworth has to adjust quickly to their new status as a zombie after waking from death from a car crash that killed their parents and sisters. Always a talented witch, Z now can barely perform magic and is rapidly decaying. Faced with rejection from their remaining family members and old friends, Z moves in with Mrs. Dunnigan, an elderly witch and befriends Aysel, a loud would-be-goth classmate who is, like Z, a loner. As Z struggles to find a way to repair the broken magical seal holding their body together, Aysel fears that her classmates will discover her status as an unregistered werewolf. “
Get a physical book here, an Overdrive e-book here, or a Hoopla e-book here.
Undead Girl Gang by Lily Anderson (she/her)
“While investigating the supposed suicides of her best friend, Riley, and mean girls June and Dayton, sixteen-year-old Wiccan Mila Flores accidentally brings them back to life.”
Get a physical book here or an Overdrive e-book or e-audiobook here.
The Raven’s Tale by Cat Winters (she/her)
“Seventeen-year-old Edgar Poe's plans to escape his foster family, begin classes at the prestigious new university, and marry his beloved Elmira Royster go awry when a macabre Muse appears with a request.”
The Dark Descent of Elizabeth Frankenstein by Kiersten White (she/her)
“Elizabeth Lavenza has been starved and beaten by her ‘caregiver’ until she is brought to the home of Victor Frankenstein, an unsmiling, solitary boy who has everything-- except a friend. To escape from misery, Elizabeth does everything she can to make herself indispensable. She is taken in by the Frankenstein family and soon she and Victor are inseparable. But as the years pass, Elizabeth's survival depends on managing Victor's dangerous temper and entertaining his every whim, no matter how depraved. She is determined to stay alive no matter the cost... as the world she knows is consumed by darkness.”
Get a physical book here and an Overdrive e-book or e-audiobook here.
Sawkill Girls by Claire Legrand (she/her)
“On the island of Sawkill Rock, gleaming horses graze in rolling pastures and cold waves crash against black cliffs. Kids whisper the legend of an insidious monster at parties and around campfires. And girls have been disappearing for decades, stolen away by a ravenous evil no one has dared to fight. Until now. They're the Sawkill Girls. Marion: awkward and plain, steady and dependable. Zoey: luckless and lonely, hurting but hiding it. Val: gorgeous and privileged, ruthless and regal. Something dark is happening on the Rock. And they need to stop it.”
Get a physical book here, an Overdrive e-book or e-audiobook here, or a Hoopla e-audiobook here.
The Price Guide to the Occult by Leslye Walton (she/her)
“Sixteen-year-old Nor, who comes from a long line of witches, prefers to hide her ability to communicate with nature and lives in constant fear of the return of her abusive mother.”
Pretty Monsters by Kelly Link
“From the multiple award- winning "The Faery Handbag," in which a teenager's grandmother carries an entire village (or is it a man-eating dog?) in her handbag, to the near-future of "The Surfer," whose narrator (a soccer-playing skeptic) waits with a planeload of refugees for the aliens to arrive, these ten stories are funny and full of unexpected insights and skewed perspectives on the world.”
The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin (she/her)
“Seventeen-year-old Mara cannot remember the accident that took the lives of three of her friends, but after moving from Rhode Island to Florida, finding love with Noah, and more deaths, she realizes uncovering something buried in her memory might save her family and her future.”
The Coldest Girl in Coldtown by Holly Black (she/her)
“When seventeen-year-old Tana wakes up following a party in the aftermath of a violent vampire attack, she travels to Coldtown, a quarantined Massachusetts city full of vampires, with her ex-boyfriend and a mysterious vampire boy in tow.”
In the Shadow of Blackbirds by Cat Winters (she/her)
“In San Diego in 1918, as deadly influenza and World War I take their toll, sixteen-year-old Mary Shelley Black watches desperate mourners flock to séances and spirit photographers for comfort and, despite her scientific leanings, must consider if ghosts are real when her first love, killed in battle, returns.”
Get a physical book here, an Overdrive e-book here, or a Hoopla e-book here.
Celebrate Hispanic/Latinx Heritage Month!
Posted on September 24, 2020
Did you know that Hispanic/Latinx Heritage Month runs from September 15-October 15? This is a time dedicated to recognizing the achievements and contributions of Hispanic or Latinx (a gender-neutral alternative to the terms Latino or Latina) people to American society and culture. To celebrate this month, Sonoma County Library’s very own Hispanic and Latinx librarians pulled together some awesome books written by Latinx authors. Here are our YA recommendations!
(Hint: click on the book covers or title to go to go to the library catalog)
October’s Virtual Pride Book Club: Queer YA Horror and Supernatural Books!
Posted on August 29, 2020
Our Virtual Pride Book Club for Teens ages 13-18 continues this month with the theme of Queer YA Horror and Supernatural Books! The books for this month don’t have to be scary; anything that fits in with the theme of supernatural books will be just fine. Think books with witches, monsters, paranormal happenings, and creepy magical books. You can select a book that fits the theme based on recommendations by librarians or choose your own! We will be meeting online at 3:30pm on Tuesday, October 6, 2020. For more information, email teenpride@sonomalibrary.org.
To register for the October 6 book club, visit https://events.sonomalibrary.org/event/4479859.
Here are some of our recommendations:
Alex (she/her) recommends
The Lost Coast, by Amy Rose Capetta (all pronouns)
You can order a physical copy of this book for curbside pickup at this link.
You can also order a Book on CD for curbside pickup at this link.
Or you can access this book digitally as an e-book and an e-audiobook via Overdrive.
Javier (he/him) recommends
Prelude for Lost Souls, by Helene Dunbar (she/her)
You can read this book as an e-book on Hoopla.
Melissa (she/her) recommends
Blood Countess, by Lana Popovic (she/her)
You can order a physical copy of this book for curbside pickup at this link.
Or you can access this book digitally as an e-book and an e-audiobook via Hoopla.
Stuart (he/him) recommends
Deathless Divide, by Lana Popovic (she/her)
You can order a physical copy of this book for curbside pickup at this link.
Or you can access this book digitally as an e-book via Overdrive.
And as an e-book and an e-audiobook on Hoopla.
Terra (she/her) recommends
When We Were Magic, by Sarah Gailey (they/them)
You can order a physical copy of this book for curbside pickup at this link.
Or you can access this book digitally as an e-book via Overdrive.
More Queer YA Horror and Supernatural books:
Vampires Never Get Old
by Hal Schrieve (xie/hir)
Coming soon
Cemetery Boys
by Aiden Thomas (they/them)
Coming soon
